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SnapScan lets users make payments with their phone – quickly, easily, and safely. All SnapScan-supported stores have their own unique SnapCode (which is a QR code), and customers can make a payment in-store to them by scanning the code using the camera on their phone and the SnapScan app. Additionally, SnapScan lets users send money to friends, make online payments, pay bills, buy prepaid services in the app, and earn UCount Rewards Points when making a purchase.

To use SnapScan, consumers download the app for Apple, Android or BlackBerry, and add their credit card details by taking a picture of their card and creating a Pin. They can then use the app to scan a QR (quick response) code — a type of barcode — in a store and can make payments.

SnapScan works with debit cards and credit cards, and there are no sign-up, setup or installation fees. There is also no monthly fee payable.

SnapScan falls under FireID, the company that now houses six start-up technology businesses, SnapScan being the most recently launched. FireID started life as an information security company specialising in “two-factor authentication” technology for mobile phones. It was funded by billionaire Johann Rupert, through Reinet. Justin Stanford, one of FireID’s co-founders, was instrumental in securing the initial capital injection. However, Stanford was unable to convince Reinet’s investment committee to continue investing and in 2011 it pulled its funding of FireID, forcing the company to lay off its 40 employees.

“Time is of the essence, and Fawry saves me a lot of it,” says Shawky, who owns three electronics stores in the Egyptian capital.

It was something that Cairo-based shop owner Nader Shawky had come to dread: paying his phone bill. Every month, he trekked to the offices of his mobile provider where he and dozens of others stood in line—sometimes for up to two hours—to settle their bills. It was, he admits, a maddening process.

Fawry, a fast-growing Cairo-based company that specializes in electronic payments, makes it possible for Shawky to take care of his accounts online.

Fawry’s growth has had a profound effect on Egypt’s economy, says Akef el Maghrabi, the vice chairman of Banque Misr, one of Egypt’s biggest banks and an early Fawry partner. “When you eliminate or reduce the reliance on cash, then you fight corruption, you provide convenience, you lower costs, and you grow the economy. [Electronic payments] do a lot of good for the country.”

IFC invested $6 million in Fawry in 2013 and helped guide founder Ashraf Sabry and his team as they built their business. Now the 12-year-old company handles 2.5 million transactions a day. In 2018 Fawry processed 40 billion Egyptian pounds (about $2.5 billion) in electronic payments. Earlier in 2019, Fawry became Egypt’s largest financial technology firm to list on the national stock exchange. It now employs 1,600 people.

As the Fawry network grew, shop owners who installed the system saw significant benefits, too. Fawry’s terminals drew new customers into stores, providing the consumer traffic that is the lifeblood of small shops. Mahmoud El Rawy, a grocery store owner and father of three, can attest to that. His shop struggled until he installed a Fawry payment terminal. “Fawry has had a big impact on my business,” says El Rawy, who now owns three supermarkets. “It helped bring me more customers and it’s why many come to me now.”

A farmer has no bank account and wants to deposit his commodity sale proceeds of 1,000 shillings goes to an M-Pesa outlet and deposits the money with the kiosk agent or attendant. The agent, in turn, uses her phone to access the client’s account with the client’s registered phone number and credit the account for 1,000 shillings.

M-Pesa is a mobile banking service that allows users to store and transfer money through their mobile phones. M-Pesa was introduced in Kenya as an alternative way for the population of the country to have access to financial services. Safaricom, the largest mobile phone operator in Kenya, launched M-Pesa in 2007. The service is a blend of two entities where M means mobile and Pesa means money or payment in the Swahili language.

Financial inclusion is an initiative that seeks to include residents who have no access to banks or who can’t afford the required minimum deposits in the digital banking era. In order for this initiative to succeed, different sectors must collaborate in sharing data with each other and build a meaningful digital platform.

Through mobile payment services like M-Pesa, the standard of living in Kenya has improved greatly. Market traders, debt collectors, farmers, and cab drivers don’t need to carry around or transact in a large amount of cash. This means that the occurrence of theft, robbery, and fraud is reduced. Also, individuals and business owners don’t have to wait in long lines for hours to make their electricity and water bill payments because these can be made using M-Pesa.

To combat fraud, Safaricom mandates that users of a Safaricom SIM card who want to register for M-Pesa have to do so with a valid government ID such as the Kenyan national identification card or a passport. This way, each transaction is marked with the identification of the party transferring, paying, depositing, or withdrawing money from an account.

To combat fraud, Safaricom mandates that users of a Safaricom SIM card who want to register for M-Pesa have to do so with a valid government ID such as the Kenyan national identification card or a passport. This way, each transaction is marked with the identification of the party transferring, paying, depositing, or withdrawing money from an account.

M-Pesa is one of the innovative tools that have been birthed from the collaboration of telecommunication and banking sectors in East Africa.M-Pesa began in Kenya and is being utilized in 10 countries, including India and Romania. Emergent technology in the financial sector, or Fintech, has made it possible for financial services and products, like M-Pesa, to be more accessible at small costs.M-Pesa makes it possible for unbanked people to pay for and receive goods and services using a mobile phone instead of utilizing a brick-and-mortar bank.

This cross-communication tactic used by M-Pesa is developing rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa, where the telecommunication and banking sectors are working together to create mobile banking services for those with limited access to traditional banking.

The M-PESA cash merchants are recruited by Safaricom after a due diligence process and put under specific training. They are regularly monitored and re-trained, and Safaricom aims to visit them on-site every two weeks. The same process is applied to all cash merchants so that any customer anywhere in Kenya has the same experience at any cash merchant.

The funds are deposited in several commercial banks, which are prudentially regulated in Kenya. In addition, the funds are held by a Trust and are therefore out of reach from Safaricom, which cannot access or use them. In the unfortunate event of Safaricom going bankrupt, the creditors of Safaricom would not have access to the M-PESA funds. This is a requirement from the Central Bank of Kenya which oversees M-PESA. The funds remain at all times the property of M-PESA users.

Your SnapScan app uses your phone's camera to scan a SnapCode (a unique QR code). Stores have their own SnapCodes, and scanning these codes allows you to pay them. SnapScan is free to use and works with any South African bank, and most international credit cards.

3. Regulators finally make the pivot to supporting the FinTech ecosystemBitX, a bitcoin startup in Singapore, was looking to enter the UK and European markets. Instead of having an arduous journey gaining the required licenses and approvals as it would have expected in the past, BitX was accepted into the regulatory sandbox of the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority. This enabled it to test its services and build its product with the backing of the regulator. This kind of thinking reflects how in the past few years we have seen regulators move from hindering innovation and new services, to proactively supporting and strengthening the FinTech ecosystem.It is a challenging line to take, particularly in the

world of finance – to help create the framework and environment for innovation, while also protecting consumers and businesses. However, increasingly we see regulators getting this blend right.For example, the European Union’s Directive on Payment Services (PSD2) will create an EU-wide single market for payments. This will drive new opportunities and innovation in the payment sector, because it will force financial institutions to provide secure access for a third-party service provider to a customer’s online account. Meanwhile, we have seen regulatory sandboxes emerge not just in the UK, but in locations from Singapore to Australia. The US Treasury meanwhile recently announced it will start issuing special purpose national bank charters to FinTech companies.In the future, expect to see the emergence of “RegTech”. This will enable real-time interaction and analysis between regulators and financial institutions. Indeed, thi

ch as in New York, London or Singapore. So, although the UK dominates the world of fintech (generating an estimated £6.6billion in FinTech related revenue), leading organizations are looking for inspiration among the innovative services, products and ideas being created from Guadalajara, to Laos, to Kenya.In many cases we can see that the unique financial environment of these locations is resulting in novel ideas. For example, Guadalajara based start-up Kueski uses a person’s digital footprint to assess their credit worthiness – a particular challenge in Mexico where credit is not available to large swathes of the population. In Latin America Tigo Cash is a mobile financial service which already handles more cash than many financial institutions in the region. We will see markets and services emerging which are currently not on anyone’s map, and become some of the most important financial organizations in the world.

software platform between itself and the banks, so it can view and analyze information in real-time.4. Look beyond the hubs to find innovative ideasAcross Kenya, mobile money has become ubiquitous – being used by at least one person in 96% of Kenyan households. But what is the real impact of mobile money in such countries? One study estimated that M-PESA, the Kenyan mobile money system which enables money to be stored on a phone and be sent via text, has helped lift 2% of Kenyan households out of poverty.What this example demonstrates is that the impact of FinTech innovation is often created and experienced outside of the usual hubs of finance su

In the past few years we have seen the rapid evolution of FinTech from generating novel ideas which solve customer problems, to offering core financial services. We have seen the shift from digital startups, characterized by a lack of financial wherewithal and which operated on the edge of tightly regulated markets, to the emergence of mature financial digital organizations at the heart of the traditional financial world.We can describe the development and maturing of FinTech in 3 main waves:The early emergence of digital startups helping consumers. Originally FinTech solutions were the preserve of B2C markets which solved specific customer problems such as offering home loans faster and easier. They used new technologies such as mobile and cloud computing, and were characterized by a laser focus on the customer with all the hall-marks of a digital Silicon-Valley style start-up.Transition to B2B markets. Today FinTech plays a role at the core of B2B innovation in financial markets, and industry observers widely expect B2B FinTech revenues to dwarf those in consumer markets within the next couple of years. Organizations such as Currency Cloud (cross border B2B payments), Payoneer Escrow (escrow services), and Hummingbill (B2B invoice platform) all reflect a maturing industry.The creation of an ecosystem between FinTech and traditional players. FinTech organizations are realizing that the required go-to-market investment, economies of scale, and regulatory needs, means it makes sense to partner with traditional financial institutions. On the other side, established players recognize the value, innovation and potential of FinTech in a world which is increasingly mobile-first. These financial institutions are also adopting many of the methods that FinTechs use so successfully, from a focus on the customer, to using Agile software development, to holding hackathons, and forming accelerators and innovation programs.

ch as in New York, London or Singapore. So, although the UK dominates the world of fintech (generating an estimated £6.6billion in FinTech related revenue), leading organizations are looking for inspiration among the innovative services, products and ideas being created from Guadalajara, to Laos, to Kenya.In many cases we can see that the unique financial environment of these locations is resulting in novel ideas. For example, Guadalajara based start-up Kueski uses a person’s digital footprint to assess their credit worthiness – a particular challenge in Mexico where credit is not available to large swathes of the population. In Latin America Tigo Cash is a mobile financial service which already handles more cash than many financial institutions in the region. We will see markets and services emerging which are currently not on anyone’s map, and become some of the most important financial organizations in the world.

It’s 2020 and to apply for a loan, instead of going to your local bank branch, you quickly ask Facebook for approval. This is far from fanciful thinking. Even as of today, PayPal is arguably one of the largest retail banks — it has more money in deposits than all but the largest 20 US banks, and offers services from payments, to loans and credit cards (albeit currently via partners). But we believe that one of the major tech companies, whether that is Facebook, Amazon, Google, or Ant Financial (the financial arm of Alibaba) will not only transform retail banking, but rapidly become the largest retail bank in the world.

“The problem in Egypt is that companies which have bank accounts sell services to people with no bank accounts,” says Ashraf Sabry, chief executive and a founder of Fawry. Among its owners are the technology development fund; a public-private partnership, Raya; a local technology company; and a group of banks including HSBC. “You could say the sellers are at the top of a pyramid and the buyers at the bottom. We connect them.”

Why use M-PESA to send money to Kenya?Money is added instantly to M-PESA accounts once payment is approved.Your recipients don’t have to carry large amounts of cash with them, which can be unsafe.There’s no need for your recipient to travel to a pickup location, they will have the money delivered right to their phone. It couldn’t be easier!

Tarek Magdy, CEO of Waffarha, said: “Waffarha” was launched 6 years ago as the only platform that provides offers ranging from 50% for B2B and B2C, with more than 1 million social media followers and more than 1000 commercial series.”

And he pointed out that “Waffarha” provides many services as (restaurants, cafes, travel, health and beauty, entertainment, etc.). There are 250 thousand customers who have saved nearly 50 million EGP after using “Waffarha”. All offers starting from 50% include taxes and services, and can be paid in different ways by choosing “Fawry Pay” service, which allows customers to pay cash in more than 90 thousand stores of Fawry or by banks (credit cards or direct debit). In addition to paying with “PayPal” through Fawry Pay”

Why is this app so popular, and what does it do? In short it aims to replace the use of cash for both customer and merchant. What makes this unique for the merchant, is that they don’t need a bank account or a card machine to receive payments.

SnapScan’s partnership with Standard Bank has allowed the company to grow faster. But Ehlers and his team are still required to adapt to the differences between the corporate and start-up worlds.